Esther Copley

Esther Copley, Esther Hewlett or sometimes Esther Hewlett Copley

Writings Esther was a prolific author of children's books, tracts, and books on domestic economy. Cottage Comforts (1825), addressed to the labouring classes, had reached 24 edition by 1864, for example. Among several works on domestic matters was the pamphlet Hints on the Cholera morbus (1832), on how to prevent and treat the disease.

Copley's stories for children were mainly didactic, designed to make them thrifty and good by providing examples of moral behaviour. She has been compared to writers such as Harriet Martineau and Eliza Meteyard who used fiction in similar ways. She also wrote longer, non-fiction works for children, including Scripture Natural History for Youth (1828) and a 500-page History of Slavery and its Abolition (1836), which derived slavery from human sinfulness. Family Experiences and Home Secrets (1851) incorporated three earlier books, in which a family is shown to prosper through hard work, foresight and benevolence.

Commemoration Esther Copley was buried at Eythorne Baptist Church under a tree near the gate, In 1996, a plaque commemorating her and her extended family was erected in the United Reformed church, Henley-on-Thames, where she and her parents had moved in the early years of the 19th century.